LOUISVILLE – The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) and the executive committee of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board voted Feb. 8 to approve significant General Assembly per capita increases – an increase from $7.73 per member in 2018 to $10.71 in 2019 and to $11.45 per member in 2020.
That would amount to a 39 percent increase from 2018 to 2019 and a 7 percent increase from 2019 to 2020.
The 10-7 vote was split: with COGA voting 9-0 in favor (with one abstention) and the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board executive committee voting 7-1 against. The proposed increase still would need approval from the 2018 General Assembly; the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board also is expected to consider it before its meeting ends Feb. 9.
The standing rules say that the per capita rate needs to be a joint recommendation from COGA and the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board. One option for resolving any differences might be to convene a Per Capita Joint Table, where … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE – J. Herbert Nelson, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), presented a General Assembly per capita budget that he said is needed to “do what the Lord requires” – and which would be funded by a sizeable increase in the General Assembly per capita apportionment.
The vote on that proposed General Assembly per capita increase – from an apportionment of $7.73 per member in 2018 to $10.71 in 2019 and $11.45 in 2020 – is expected to come Feb. 8, with the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) and the executive committee of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Boardmeeting jointly.
If approved, that would amount to a 39 percent increase from 2018 to 2019 and a 7 percent increase from 2019 to 2020.
The proposed increase would lift the General Assembly per capita budget from $11.5 million in 2018 to $15.5 million in 2019 and $15.8 million in 2020. That would also give a “break even” funding level – adding more than $66,000 to per capita reserves in … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE – The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly and the executive committee of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board are proposing a significant increase in the per capita rate for 2019 and 2020 – an increase from $7.73 per member in 2018 to $10.71 in 2019 and to $11.45 per member in 2020.
If approved, that would amount to a 39 percent increase from 2018 to 2019 and a 7 percent increase from 2019 to 2020. However, spending decisions that the 2018 General Assembly may make could also affect the per capita budget for 2019 and 2020.
The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (meeting Feb. 6-8 in St. Louis) and the executive committee of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board (the board is meeting Feb. 7-9 in Louisville) will discuss the proposal jointly in a video conference call Feb. 7. Those two entities are expected to vote Feb. 8 on whether to approve the per capita budgets for 2019 and 2020, along with a revised per capita budget for 2018, and to … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE – Yes, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will hold its General Assembly in St. Louis from June 16-23, 2018. The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly voted Sept. 21 to reaffirm that and to say “we believe God has led us to this place at this time.”
The committee also voted to encourage Presbyterians to go to St. Louis before, during and after the General Assembly to engage in service and justice work.
Some have raised questions recently about whether the PC(USA) should pull the assembly out of St. Louis both as a form of economic protest and to protect the safety of people of color who’ll be attending.
Police have arrested more than 120 people during protests in downtown St. Louis following the acquittal on Sept. 15 of Jason Stockley, a white former police officer who had been charged with murder after shooting a black driver, Lamar Smith, five times in 2011. Racial justice in St. Louis has been an issue long before that – with the police killing of … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE – Here’s an idea: Use the national offices of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as a place to offer sanctuary for immigrants facing deportation.
J. Herbert Nelson, stated clerk of the PC(USA), raised that possibility during a meeting Sept. 20 of the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA), following a powerful presentation by Teresa Waggener and Amanda Craft, who work in the denomination’s Office of Immigration Issues, regarding the work Presbyterians are doing to assist vulnerable immigrants.
Because of changes in policy the Trump administration has implemented, now “everybody is a priority for deportation” – all 11 million undocumented individuals, said Waggener, a lawyer.
As people of faith, “it’s our challenge to see God’s image in every person,” Craft said.
The immigration issues office offers resources for congregations that are considering offering sanctuary. If that’s what a congregation chooses to do, “you might be breaking some laws along … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE – The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) is considering what’s being described as a “joyous” budget for 2019 and 2020 – a budget that would include a per capita increase from $7.73 per member in 2018 to $10.11 in 2019 and $10.82 in 2020.
That would amount to a 30 percent per capita increase from 2018 to 2019, and overall a 44 percent increase from the current rate of $7.50 per member in 2017 to $10.82 per member in 2020.
In presenting this budget for discussion now, leaders of the Office of the General Assembly (OGA) are testing the waters – it won’t come up for a formal vote until COGA’s meeting in Feb. 6-8, 2018, and potentially could be revised before then. And even from COGA members, there was some initial pushback.
J. Herbert Nelson, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), said the proposed budget is structured to allow OGA to better serve the church – including providing leadership training and support for mid councils.
“We … [Read more...]